Philip Freedman

Unfortunately I only have the original A7r (mark 1) - at least, at the moment !

I have just bought a second-hand XPro2 and a 35 f2 XF lens, to try out against my Sony A7r (Mark I) with FE 55 lens and my A6500 which I use either with a Loxia 35 or a Sony 35 2.8. A few test shots on the XPro2 look very promising but here are some random comments;

 

1. Having dithered for a long time between MF, AF and back button AF, my current preference is AF and a shutter button that has a clear half-press position to trigger the AFS without accidentally firing the shutter. The XPro2 meets that requirement.

 

2. I mainly use aperture priority and like to be able to glance down at the camera and see what aperture is set without having to look at the back screen or bring the EVF up to the eye. On my D810 there is a display window on the top-plate that shows this and other settings but mirrorless cameras are too small to have a top window so I prefer a lens with an aperture ring on a mirrorless camera. Most of the XF lenses have an aperture ring as well as being AF whilst only the MF Sony/Zeiss lenses have them.

 

3. The A6500 has a fantastically large EVF and its eye point is sufficiently long for me, as a spectacles wearer. It is much better than the small EVF/OVF on the XPro2 for someone like me. I imagined that, having been a film Leica enthusiast, I would like the OVF of the XPro2 but I now prefer a modern EVF for the WYSIWYG aspect including the ability to see over or under exposure before taking the shot.

 

4. The last comment also means that I appreciate a dedicated exposure compensation dial.

 

5. I also prefer dual SD card slots, not only for backup purposes but also to split RAW from JPEG so that I can take out the card with the JPEGs and import just them into my iPad Pro for previewing if away from home.

 

6. Since I am getting older I appreciate a camera that is significantly lighter than my D810.

 

7. I prefer a less-conspicuous rangefinder-style body.

 

The XPro2 ticks many but not all of these boxes. The A6500 is lighter, has a larger integral grip, and ticks other (but not all) of these boxes. An XT2 or one of the more recent Sony A full frame cameras might provide more of my desired features but with an SLR style body and with the Sony being at increased cost and weight. Finding a reasonably priced camera and lens combination that meets all my preferences is proving difficult!

 

Philip

My main camera is a full frame D810. I also have an old lightweight DX camera, a D5100, and a few DX lenses. On my D810 I use

back button focus and just the central focus point and I would like to use the same set up on my DX camera but the focus point on the

D5100 is hard to see in the viewfinder and tends to move too easily and the rear buttons are not easy to use. I am keen to replace the

D5100 with one of the current small lightweight Nikon DX models. Can anyone with actual hands-on experience (no guesswork, please)

recommend one that is suitable for use in this way. Thanks Philip.

Having started to take video with my D810, and being keen on steadiness but reluctant to carry around a full size tripod, I have been

using a small but sturdy Manfrotto mini tripod with built in ball and socket, which I place on a suitable low wall or table where possible. I

am pleased wth the rock steady results and would now like to get a suitable fluid pan and tilt head to put on top of the ball head (which I

will use just for levelling). It needs to be sturdy and smooth but not too big or heavy. Any ideas appreciated. Thanks Philip.

Thanks all. Makes it much easier not to have to switch picture control when changing between still and video. Philip

Lorne - many thanks but does that mean that I would have to make adjustments in Lightroom to counteract the picture

control settings? If so it would probably be more efficient to switch the picture control settings in the camera. Philip

I have just started to use my D810 for video as well as stills. I have set a custom picture control wth reduced sharpening etc for video

use. Do I have to change the pictures control setting back to normal every time I want to take a still picture and then back again to take in

video? I am taking only raw still pictures, not JPEGs. Or does the camera ignore the picture settings when taking in raw? I use

Lightroom to convert to DNG etc.

 

Thanks

Philip

Thanks for all your helpful comments. I didn't see that you have to set the NEF + JPEG twice, in different settings. I will give that a try.

Many thanks Philip

<p>I set my D810 with the SD card as first and the CF card as second and set it to record NEFs on the SD card and JPEGs on the CF card. However on copying them into a new folder on my iMac using a card reader and Finder, the images on both cards have file suffixes NEF and none say JPEG. I tried importing the files from the CF card directly into Lightroom as an alternative and they still showed up as NEFs. Any ideas?<br>

Thanks Philip</p>

 

In some cameras the zoom-in review only works properly if one captures in Raw + JPEG and not just Raw only, since the small JPEG

that is captured by default with Raw is of low resolution. I have acquired a Sony A7r to use with some old Leica lenses. I will experiment

with it but does anyone know whether it works in that way or can I just select Raw only and still be able to get a proper image review? I

prefer to take Raw and develop in Lightroom.

 

Thanks

Philip

Elliott, I have always preferred the ergonomics of Nikon over Canon; for a short time I had a 5D and the 24-105 L lens but

they didn't feel right with the result that I was never at my best using them. However, I am happy to have a look / feel at

any camera that may have decent controls, be fast in use and give good results. Philip.

I am not a pro but a keen enthusiast taking a mixture of travel, social and candid street photography, and I usually convert the latter into

B&W. I still have my old D300 which I like because it starts up quickly, has unnoticeable shutter timelag, has quite fast AF (I still use only

the centre focus point), a fairly large viewfinder and separate buttons on top for ISO, WB, exposure compensation etc so giving quick

menu-free control when needed and sufficiently fast operation. I had a D700 when they first came out but stupidly traded it in for a Leica

M9 which I didn't keep for very long - it did not live up to the class of my old film M6, the electronics were very unreliable (often the in-

viewfinder information didn't come on, the camera froze, etc) and the viewfinder framing was even more inaccurate than normal in RFs. I

usually use prime lenses and am trying to work out which Nikon would best suit me. I like the button controls of the D300 and similar

style Nikons. I don't need more than 16 mp. I don't use auto ISO. I have a selection of full frame Nikon D and old AIS lenses and a couple of DX

lenses, but am not averse to buying one or two new lenses if necessary. However, I as I am getting older I would rather not go for a very

heavy camera. Trying to reconcile these different requirements is driving me insane. Anything to relieve my insanity would be most

appreciated.

Philip

<p>It depends on your type of photography. When I went to Italy a couple of weeks ago I took a compact system camera (the excellent XE-1) rather than my heavy D300 DSLR. Although the XE-1 has a very good EVF as well as a rear screen, and with the fine 35mm f 1.4 Fuji lens was great for scenes, the slowish start-up/wake-up time and AF speed together made it less suitable for candid street and child photography. My reason for taking it was the size and weight of my prosumer DSLR which can cause me elbow and shoulder ache after a couple of hours. If anyone can suggest a fairly small lightweight but well-built APS-C sensor DSLR with a large dioptre-adjustable optical viewfinder, fast AF and good IQ, please let me know!<br>

Philip </p>

I am enjoying using an X-E1 with the Fuji M adapter and, normally, my Summicron 35 Asph. The camera is light but very

solidly built, has an APS-C sensor and a proper shutter dial and can be used fully manual or Aperture priority. The EVF is

very good and the magnified view for accurate focus comes up with one button press and reverts to the full view for taking

the shot. In bright light the magnifier mode is often not needed for focusing. The Fn button can be set to bring up the ISO

for changing with a couple of button presses so that it is rarely necessary to go into menus. I am happier with it than with

my Nex 7 notwithstanding its tri-nav wheels etc.

Philip

I have a similar wish for a DSLR with a large viewfinder but in addition I am looking for a fairly light camera since I have

an intermittent shoulder problem and find my strongly built D300 hard to carry round all day. I have always preferred

Nikon to Canon but am open to suggestions.

Thanks Philip

I am new to video and have been reading up on the internet. Having read that a shutter speed of 1/50 or 1/60 is desirable for 24p or 25p

shooting, I have realised that on a sunny day even the lowest ISO on my Nex 5n, being 100, will require an aperture of about f22 which is

smaller than some of my lenses can be set. Also, such a small aperture will create too much depth of field for some shots.Does that mean I need an ND filter to video in bright sunlight at a shutter speed that gives realistic results or is there another solution? Thanks Philip

I am new to video, trying it out recently on my Nex 5n and was quite successful in converting it for editing on my iMac with iMovie and

burning to a DVD. However there was some moire and aliasing due to the line skipping and since i was taking shots of buildings with

lines and patterns (Doges Palace in Venice) this was a problem. Also, since I want to take stills as well as video I need to be able to

switch quickly from one to another and that created a problem because settings needed changing. I think I need a camera which easily

switches between custom settings by button/dial so that I can set the video to say shutter priority at 1/50 sec with low contrast and low

sharpening but set the stills say to aperture priority and easily switch.. Ideally I don't want to carry two cameras. Any ideas about how to

do this or what camera to get which will be most suitable? I have some Nikon gear as well, and some Leica M lenses that I sometimes

use on the Nex 5n with an adaptor, but I am prepared to change if necessary. Thanks Philip

I looked at one today and couldn't use the viewfinder since I use varifocal spectacles and need a diopter adjustment

which this camera does not have. The dealer did not know if or when a screw-in eyepiece lens might be available.

Philip

My NEX 5N and the EVF arrived and I have just run off a few test shots with a 35 f2 Summicron ASPH and a Metabones

adaptor. The results are truly excellent in terms of resolution/sharpness and colour and so far I have find no chromatic

aberration fringing even in shots against the light with a bright white sky (the sun wasn't out for long). I have not quite got

the customisation right but I am getting there and the manual focusing is simple and accurate. Thanks again. Philip

Many thanks to those who answered my question! I have ordered an NEX 5N and an EVF.

Philip

I would like to use my Leica M lenses on a small camera such as the Sony NEX, Pany G or Oly EP series. I found the Leica M9 clumsy,

unreliable to wake up and show the in-viewfinder settings, and with very imprecise framing. I have tried a 35 Summicron on an old GF1

but it take two different button presses to trigger the focus magnifier. I have read that the NEX 5N and NEX 7 have focus peaking to

assist with manual focus - can that facility be left on at all times? If not, is it easy to switch on? Are there any other views about the best

mirrorless small camera to use with an adapter and manual lenses?

Thanks

Philip

I would like to use my new pocketable Fuji F660 EXR to take some informal videos at an indoor wedding ceremony but need help about

the focusing. I intend to record with as little panning and zooming showing on screen as possible and concentrate on holding the camera

still for each clip. Can anyone suggest the best way of quickly getting sharp focus on the main subject of each shot. When taking stills I

am old fashioned enough to still use the single autofocus setting and acquire focus with the centre spot and recompose. Any help

appreciated. Please don't suggest a different larger camera!

 

Philip

I had a D700 which I used with older Nikon and newer Zeiss manual lenses and was very happy with the results but

certainly found the combination rather heavy and it soon resulted in what I suppose is called photographer's elbow. I

also had and still have a D300 which is nearly as heavy. However, I remembered that Galen Rowell once wrote an

article in (I think) Outdoor Photographer saying that on mountain hikes he took one of Nikon's small light plastic-bodied

SLRs if a heavy pro SLR would be too heavy and bulky, and I decided that if a DSLR has a decent sensor and a

decent lens, and the viewfinder is not ridiculously small, a consumer model should be fine for a normal enthusiast like

me, so I recently bought a D5100 which has the same 16mp sensor as the D7000 and can take the same modern

lenses as the pro models. Apart from being a bit fiddly in changing the ISO (you can allot the Fn button to this but it is

awkwardly positioned) it is performing well and in many respects the IQ outperforms my semi-pro D300. I mainly use

the current prime 35mm G series lens which sadly I have to admit is just as sharp as the old Nikon manual lenses that

I still treasure.

 

Philip

<p>The fringing was much more noticeable using the new 50 1.4 asph lens - can be fixed in Lightroom 2 but annoying. And yes it is the same William Cheung - very nice and helpful.</p>

<p>Ted: I traded in my M8 (pre 8.2) since it had too many problems, and only used the 50 1.4 asph on slides and prints which did not shown any noticeable CA.<br>

Alex: this was thanks to Len at RG Lewis in London, where William Cheung was demonstrating the M9 and Len had two deliveries from Leica UK.<br>

Philip </p>